Thousands of U.S. troops on the way to Afghanistan as Taliban claims more territory

U.S. troops sent in as Taliban advances in Afghanistan

Thousands of U.S. troops are rushing to Afghanistan to help speed up evacuations for some American diplomats and thousands of Afghans in Kabul.

(FOX 5 DC) - Thousands of U.S. troops are rushing to Afghanistan to help speed up evacuations for some American diplomats and thousands of Afghans in Kabul.

The move comes as the Taliban continues to take control of several major cities. According to Pentagon officials, militants with the Taliban are pushing in on more territory as troops head overseas to help get American personnel out.

The bulk of those 3,000 troops are expected to arrive by this weekend.

The U.S. is calling on the Taliban not to attack the Embassy and U.S. diplomats who are leaving the region.

There is an intensifying fear that Kabul may fall as the Taliban has swept up control in at least half of the country's 34 provinces, but President Biden is standing by his order to return all U.S. troops from the country by the end of this month.

A military advocacy group that spoke with FOX 5 says it remains to be seen what that outcome could bring.

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"We’re leaving a country that we’ve been in for 20 years and the argument is going to be was that a right decision, did we leave at the right time," said Tom Porter, Executive Vice President Of Government Affairs with IAVA. "We dislodged the Taliban at a time when they were harboring terrorists and we prevented them from launching attacks at the United States. Whether that continues to be the case is to be determined."

Porter went on to say that for the millions of veterans who served in Afghanistan in this two-decade war, they may be grimacing at the gains made by the Taliban.

"A lot of them are going to be thinking, ‘did my service matter?’ They’re going to be thinking, ‘did it matter that I sacrificed so many months so many years of my life and that my family sacrificed while I was gone for this to happen?’" Porter said.

The officials waiting for help evacuating the Embassy are now scrambling to destroy sensitive documents and equipment as Afghan refugees flock to the capital for help.

The Department of Homeland Security also issued a new advisory on terrorism Friday night as reports come in of possible threats across the country.

Officials say the threats stem from the ongoing impacts of renewed COVID-19 restrictions, efforts by foreign influencers to stir up trouble in the U.S. and the upcoming 20th Anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Homeland Security says there are no current attacks they know of, but it is something they are keeping a close eye on.